Haiku from Ghana

city cleanup

2012-02-12T08:34:00.001Z

city cleanup
the remains of her shelter
carried off

morning sun

2012-01-25T15:46:00.004Z

morning sun
through the dewdrop
a rainbow

the dog

2012-01-20T08:01:00.002Z

morning walk
the dog marks its path
with squirts

afternoon breeze

2012-01-18T13:14:00.001Z

afternoon breeze
the mantis sways
with the leaf

breakfast

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000Z

sunless morning

suddenly my tea

is no more hot

morning walk

2012-01-16T10:11:00.002Z

morning walk

the harmattan registers itself

on my face

a series on crises

2012-01-13T10:59:00.000Z

a year later...

the struggle continues

on Naija streets

in a pool

of blood, a man

for the cause

I tweet

about his death -

a demonstrator

tropical sun

he waved a placard with

bloody hands

setting sun

armed soldiers parade

the streets

power outage

2012-01-11T12:24:00.002Z

power outage
he still meets me
with his hands raised

fuel subsidy

2012-01-10T17:05:00.000Z

fuel subsidy
will their black shoes turn
brown?

2011 in Review and 2012 Expectations, Haiku

2011-12-30T10:00:00.000Z

This year was not one of my strongest in terms of writing in general and Haiku in particular. My Haiku blog suffered - it was devoid of postings and hence traffic was extremely low. There were several months where my total posts were not up to five. With such limited activity there is nothing much to say about 2011. The only achievements were the publication in Akita International Haiku Network, World Haiku Review January and August 2011.

One of my resolutions for the new year is to dedicate enough time for writing, Haiku included. Thus, I will be spending more time on this blog than I did this year. I will also be sending my works to more publishing houses. My interactions with Haiku blogs will increase. This blog will have to be more visible. I will include some other sections like Issa Monday or Basho Wednesday where I share Haiku from such grand masters.

With these I hope and believe that Haiku from Ghana will become a great blog. I thank all those who have been patient with me and have commented on my posts. I appreciate your effort and time. I will not disappoint you in 2012.

harmattan afternoon

2011-12-23T12:12:00.003Z

harmattan afternoon
even the grass
bear witness

curvy lines

2011-11-27T18:59:00.001Z

curvy lines

he learns to write

on walls

housecleaning

2011-11-26T13:36:00.001Z

housecleaning

even the three-legged spider

was not spared

the leaf

2011-11-25T14:48:00.001Z

the shadow
of a swaying leaf
remembrance day

morning rush

2011-10-21T07:01:00.001Z

morning rush
the banging and clanking
keeps me awake

reading

2011-10-18T11:47:00.001Z

reading
on the way to work
a bird coos

afternoon heat

2011-10-15T15:00:00.001Z

afternoon heat
a shaft of sunlight
hits my nape

whistling wind

2011-10-14T15:59:00.000Z

whistling wind
the mad man's questions
go unanswered

head bowed

2011-09-30T15:50:00.003Z

head bowed -
listening to the sound
of thought

Publication in the Akita International Haiku Network (Part I)

2011-09-05T07:20:00.000Z

The following were published in the Akita International Haiku Network in January 2011

rising sun –

the spider’s web catches　　　　　　初日の出蜘蛛の巣虹をとらえけり

rainbow

coming in from the cold…

a trail of ants lines　　　　　　　　　　寒さ避け壁に一本蟻の道

the wall

Publication in World Haiku Review, January 2011 Edition

2011-09-03T07:45:00.000Z

The following haiku were published in the January 2011 edition of World Haiku Review under the various sections.

Neo-ClassicalHaiku

Zatsuei,or Haiku of Merit

drizzle—

the drying-line shelters

a housefly

sundown--

following a falling leaf

into darkness

_______________

Publications in the World Haiku Review, August 2011 Edition

2011-09-01T08:18:00.001Z

The following haiku were published in the Neo-Classical section of the August 2011 edition of the World Haiku Review:

evening sunlight
threading the mist
pine needles

starless sky
fireflies move in and out
of darkness

Read the complete Neo-Classical haiku here.
Read more about the August edition here.

mango market

2011-08-25T17:35:00.001Z

mango market
a swarm of houseflies
leads the way

swaying leaf

2011-08-24T16:01:00.001Z

swaying leaf...
he toddles
towards home

thunder

2011-08-22T18:02:00.002Z

thunder -
the frogs croak
in response

after party

2011-07-25T17:14:00.002Z

a trail of ants
surrounds the leftovers -
after party

roadside walk

2011-07-14T18:37:00.004Z

roadside walk -
a butterfly disappears
into the fumes

1984

2011-07-13T11:48:00.003Z

1984
hacking the dead man
for news
_________
updated on July 14, 2011

starless sky

2011-07-06T15:36:00.000Z

starless sky...
my footprint missing
on the path

morning rain

2011-06-12T09:54:00.001Z

morning rain

tuning my ears

to bird songs

welcome

2011-05-19T05:19:00.001Z

the disappearing tail
of a baby alligator
'Welcome to Subim Forest'

rising smoke

2011-05-09T17:25:00.001Z

entering
the gathering clouds
a column smoke

gathering clouds

2011-05-03T16:37:00.000Z

gathering clouds

the housefly whirls

and buzzes

past closing time

2011-03-29T18:20:00.000Z

past closing time
something waves from
behind the louvers

full moon

2011-03-25T17:53:00.000Z

full moon
the hawk leaves with
half the moon

lunch time

2011-03-23T15:55:00.001Z

lunch time
the half-tailed lizard
visits again

carrying cars

2011-03-14T15:33:00.000Z

carrying cars
carrying people...
Sendai floods

Sendai

2011-03-14T15:29:00.000Z

only the roof
pierces the waters...
Sendai

Fukushima

2011-03-14T15:27:00.000Z

Fukushima...
black smoke smothers
the sky

first grey hair: Shiki Monthly Kukai for February

2011-02-28T16:04:00.002Z

first grey hair -
is that my father's face
in the mirror?

Got four points for this haiku.

starless sky

2011-02-23T20:48:00.000Z

starless sky

fireflies move in and out

of darkness

Benghazi

2011-02-20T12:42:00.000Z

Benghazi...
ridding the kitchen
of insects

Day of Rage

2011-02-20T12:38:00.000Z

Day of Rage...
the fire burns from room
to room

thunder

2011-02-18T16:38:00.000Z

thunder -
a bird sways
on a pine branch

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T12:56:00.000Z

Valentine's Day
straightening her dog-eared
pictures

his resignation

2011-02-11T16:57:00.000Z

his resignation
even the elephant grass salaams
in praise

how the grass salaamed

2011-02-11T14:19:00.000Z

rains' end
how the elephant grass salaams
in the gully

dark smoke

2011-02-07T17:00:00.002Z

dark smoke
hangs over Cairo's skyline
day of departure

day of departure

2011-02-07T15:41:00.000Z

day of departure...
Cairo's skyline darkens
with smoke

Tahrir Square

2011-02-04T13:57:00.000Z

Tahrir Square
a man waves an Egyptian flag
with bloody hands

Tahrir Square

2011-02-04T08:54:00.000Z

Tahrir Square
she bleeds beneath
the halo

january 25 (3)

2011-02-03T16:19:00.000Z

january 25
throwing stones at
Mubarak's statue

january 25 (2)

2011-02-03T16:15:00.000Z

january 25
two old women before
an armour car

january 25

2011-02-03T16:11:00.000Z

january 25
black and red spots cover
the tv screen

evening travel

2011-01-29T15:12:00.000Z

evening travel -
moving with the car
and a star

passing plane

2011-01-21T17:49:00.000Z

passing plane
the culvert-water bubbles
with a frog's hop

sudden traffic

2011-01-21T10:26:00.000Z

traffic...
a duck slowly crosses
the street

first visit

2011-01-17T07:47:00.003Z

first visit -
his unseeing eyes stare
into mine

harmattan

2011-01-13T09:05:00.003Z

harmattan...
the wet trail
of a baby snail

morning fog

2011-01-12T15:11:00.002Z

morning fog
is this the sun
we boast of?

roof hole

2011-01-10T17:02:00.000Z

roof hole
the sun throws its ring
onto the floor

(Shiki Monthly Kukuai, December 6pts, 13th position)

sunset

2011-01-06T16:51:00.001Z

sunset -
the pine's needles
thread through the fog

new year's eve

2011-01-05T11:58:00.002Z

new year's eve
churches and pubs
fill to capacity

Haiku in Translation

2011-01-04T12:00:00.000Z

I found out that two of my Haiku have been translated into Japanese. Read here.

Welcome to 2011, Haiku and more

2011-01-04T09:08:00.000Z

Dear readers, this blog has not been as it could have been. I have slackened on postings because I write less Haiku. However, 2011 brings a new energy and new determination. I hope to make this year a successful one. As always your comments are important on each post. Let's together make Haiku a popular poetry form in Ghana and across the world.

One thing is that certain geo-specific Haiku are difficult to appreciate. Yet, I won't pander to this as Haiku, like globalisation, involves contributing to the whole from your part. So I would continue to write geo-specific Haiku hoping that it would appeal to your senses.

Thanks

Nana Fredua-Agyeman

clear sky

my baby cries

into the new year

christmas eve

2010-12-24T15:26:00.000Z

christmas eve
every space in the mall
taken

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-23T14:47:00.002Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS
the mist dissolves
in a cloud of dust

Basho Wednesday

2010-12-22T07:43:00.000Z

Every Wednesday in December I post one Haiku by Mastuo Basho (1644-94) - of the the four grandmasters of Haiku. If you are new to Haiku please do read about him. I have been quoting from a book of his Haiku collected by Lucien Stryk and published by Penguin, 1985, titled On Love and Barley Haiku of Basho.

Has it returned,
the snow
we viewed together?

cigarette smoke

2010-12-21T12:14:00.000Z

cigarette smoke
swirls into the mist...
christmas morning

the morning crowns

2010-12-16T07:31:00.002Z

the morning crowns
the mountain in fog -
almost christmas

Basho Wednesday

2010-12-15T11:21:00.000Z

Winter downpour -
even the monkey
needs a raincoat

(On Love and Barley, Haiku of Basho by Mastuo Basho, 1985 Penguin Classics)

years of marriage

2010-12-13T08:33:00.000Z

years of marriage -
the flame tree bares itself
leaf by leaf

broken heels

2010-12-10T08:13:00.001Z

broken heels* and lips

Christmas begins

with me

Notes

heels here is used as the back part of the human foot and not the heels of a shoe.
the Harmattan peaks during Christmas (December) and January and one of the effects of the hot dry season is to have lips and heels and hands cracking. There are places where this is very severe.

coming in from the cold

2010-12-09T10:51:00.002Z

coming in from the cold -
a trail of ants lines
the wall

harmattan morning

2010-12-08T16:44:00.001Z

harmattan morning -
a ray of light slides through
cloud spaces

Basho Wednesday

2010-12-08T16:38:00.000Z

Winter downpour -
even the monkey
needs a raincoat.

By Basho (in On Love and Barley, Haiku of Basho, Penguin Classics, 1985)

Haiku Publication (Shamrock Haiku Journal, Ireland)

2010-12-06T11:04:00.001Z

Follow this link to read my haiku.

Basho Wednesday

2010-12-01T14:34:00.000Z

From the heart
of the sweet peony,
a drunken bee

by Mastuo Basho (On Love and Barley, Haiku of Basho, page 79; Penguin Books)

droopy eyes

2010-11-26T17:13:00.000Z

droopy eyes-

echoes of the baby's cry

in my dreams

singing lullabies

2010-11-24T17:10:00.002Z

singing lullabies
he curls within the curve
of my arms

his fingers

2010-11-23T14:52:00.002Z

first cry
his fingers wrap
around mine

blackout

2010-11-19T11:57:00.001Z

blackout
an ant scurries back
into its hole

blackout
our laughter laughs
at us

blackout
the heartbeat
of my first child

Revised: mud walk

2010-11-17T16:09:00.000Z

was-

mud walk-
his every footprint filled
with water

now (1)

soul searching -
his footprints filled
with water

morning breeze

2010-11-11T09:03:00.000Z

morning breeze
the sky falls
with each dewdrop

saying goodbye

2010-11-10T09:16:00.000Z

saying goodbye
a tendril's dewdrop
catches a rainbow

mud walk

2010-11-09T12:01:00.000Z

mud walk
his every footprint is filled
with water

wake-up call

2010-11-08T16:09:00.000Z

wake-up call
a shaft of sunlight settles
on the bed

harmattan night

2010-10-26T16:20:00.002Z

Harmattan night
the a plastic bag and a bat
circle each other

Shiki Monthly Kukai

2010-10-04T09:17:00.000Z

I sent an entry into the September, 2010 Shiki Monthly Kukai, and my entry place 9th with 7 points. The following is the haiku

sundown -
following a falling leaf
into darkness

Buddha's pose

2010-10-01T10:55:00.002Z

Buddha's pose
another beggar
skates through traffic

falling leaf

2010-09-22T17:03:00.000Z

falling leaf
the first grey hair
pushes through

sundown

2010-09-09T15:55:00.000Z

sundown--
the coiled petals
of a red rose

midnight

2010-09-07T14:22:00.000Z

midnight--
the solitary barking
of a dog

hide and seek

2010-09-01T17:18:00.002Z

hide and seek
with a wall gecko
baby's cry

whirlwind

2010-08-30T15:34:00.000Z

whirlwind
the swallow holds onto
a scarecrow

city walk

2010-08-26T14:32:00.002Z

IS

city walk--
covering my nostrils
with a torn hanky

WAS

a torn hanky
sieves the fumes
city walk

drizzles

2010-08-23T16:26:00.002Z

drizzles--
the drying line shelters
a housefly

sailing

2010-08-02T09:36:00.005Z

sailing
the sun whitens
an old veil

Published in the Fall Edition of Frogpond in 2008.

rose petal

2010-07-26T11:55:00.003Z

I wrote this off-handedly when I was discussing haiku with a friend... have not worked on it yet....

rose petal
the fading face
of a man

okay the last line was 'of daddy' but I wanted to make it a bit mysterious... and does a picture come to mind?

fog mountain

2010-07-20T10:58:00.003Z

this is one of my old pieces I have reworked:

was:

fog mountain...
not seeing the trees
I see my breath

is:

fog mountain...
looking for the trees
I see my breath